Dubai opens ski resort

Temperatures never rise above freezing and there is a fresh sprinkling of snow every day, but step outside and you will find a sunbaked desert.

Complete with Alpine-style chalets, fir trees, chairlifts and ski runs graded from green to black, the world's largest indoor snow resort has opened its doors in the Gulf emirate of Dubai.

Ski Dubai is the country's latest extraordinary no-expense-spared project. The emirate already has manmade islands shaped like a map of the world and is building the world's tallest tower. Beneath the Gulf it is building the world's first underwater hotel, with underwater opera.

Ski Dubai has more than 6,000 tonnes of snow. It boasts ski runs up to 400 metres long with a fall of more than 60 metres. A day pass costs 220 dirhams (£35).

Skiing in traditional Arab robes is not allowed. The snow - created by spraying water under high pressure - is just the latest demand on scarce water resources. Swimming pools, gardens and golf courses are others.

To compensate, Gulf countries have turned to the desalination of seawater, providing around 60% of their needs. But the process is expensive and consumes a large amount of energy. Increasingly, though, governments are looking at a cheaper source - from sewage.

Experts from the world's driest countries gathered for a two-day conference in neighbouring Abu Dhabi to explore re-using contaminated water.

Fans say it can be made pure enough to drink but could be used for irrigation and air conditioning, or at least re-injected into aquifers to improve groundwater.